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Werner von Siemens

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Inventor

The Resume

    (December 13, 1816-December 6, 1892)
    Born in Lenthe, Germany
    Birth name was Ernst Werner Siemens
    Electrical engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur
    Founded the electrical and communications conglomerate Siemens AG (1847)
    Laid the first German telegraph line, from Berlin to Frankfurt
    Invented the pointer telegraph (spelled out message by a needle pointing to the letters rather than using Morse code; 1847) and the self-excited generator (a dynamo that could be set in motion with the residual magnetism of its electromagnet; 1866)
    Built the first electric passenger elevator (1880)
    Served in the Prussian state assembly (1862-66)
    Helped draft German patent laws (1877)
    Raised to the nobility (1888)

Why he might be annoying:

    While serving in the Prussian military, he was imprisoned for acting as a second in a duel between two officers.
    His second marriage was to his cousin, Antoine.
    He was unwilling to delegate authority and refused to trust anyone outside his immediate family. which eventually hindered his company's international growth.
    He clashed repeatedly with his brother William who eventually left Siemens AG to found an independent company in London.

Why he might not be annoying:

    During his brief imprisonment, he was allowed to conduct chemical experiments in his cell, resulting in his developing a new method for electroplating silver (1842).
    He introduced the use of gutta-percha to insulate telegraph cables against moisture, making underground and underwater cables possible (1847).
    He established a Pension, Widows & Orphan Fund for employees (1872), a decade before Germany created the first national pension system.
    He is the namesake for the metric unit of conductance, the siemens,

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 28.57% Annoying